Maintainers, assemble!

The Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) Presented by Snap-on is back for its 10th year. During the past decade, the industry’s best aircraft technicians have embraced this opportunity to network and show off their work ensuring the safety of the flying public. Some teams have attended since the beginning, some are new this year, but all appreciate the legacy of this competition and how it celebrates the knowledge, skills, and integrity of maintenance professionals.

This year’s event – held in Atlanta April 17-20, 2023 – is expected to attract more than 80 teams from across North America, Australia, and Europe. These five-person teams compete in six divisions: Commercial Aviation, General Aviation, Space, Military, MRO/OEM, and School, which attracts teams from the country’s top A&P schools. Events have a 15-minute time limit and include a wide range of skills technicians face every day on the job, including safety wiring, composite repair, electrical troubleshooting, turbine engine, and others.

Coming together

Teams comprise the five best representatives of the technical abilities and character of the organization. For some, such as the school teams, the AMC serves as a bonding and team-building experience for a group that already spends a lot of time working together. For other teams, competing at the actual event may be their only chance to meet face to face.

Elena Gonzalez captains American Airlines’ Women in Tech-Ops (WIT) team. The all-female team is composed of maintainers who work for American, however, they rarely get the chance to interact as they are stationed across the country.

Gonzalez says, “Last year was our first time competing as a national team. Within American, our team is scattered across the U.S. with members currently in New York, Philly, Dallas, Tulsa, and Miami. It was great to meet all the ladies on the team, plus the other women and men at the competition. It’s amazing how you meet people at the AMC, both within the team and across the industry, and your network grows.”

Stephen Fotoulis has a similar experience across the world in Australia. He’s a member of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association (ALAEA), which sends a team every year, and, like Gonzalez, he’ll likely not meet his team members in person until the competition. Unlike many teams with members either employed or enrolled in classes at the same organization, ALAEA brings members who are all part of the association from throughout the country, making the opportunities for them to connect in person even fewer.

“Our members come from a variety of backgrounds and career paths from all over Australia,” Fotoulis says. “Australia is a big country, and it’s likely we won’t be able to meet in person until we arrive in Atlanta.”

The big picture

The ability for a team of collaborators to meet and work together in person to showcase its incredible skill and knowledge is great, but all teams can enjoy the benefits of the entire industry having a space for camaraderie.

ALAEA and Fotoulis have been coming out to the AMC since the beginning, seeing a plethora of successes throughout their time competing and personally benefiting from the event’s opportunities for fellowship.

“I’ve made lifelong friends from the AMC all over the world,” Fotoulis says, “Back in 2016, through some circumstances, the company I was working at ended up letting us go. Just through making contacts and networking at the AMC, I was quickly able to get a job lined up with the people I met.”

Fotoulis isn’t the only AMC attendee whose career has benefited from connections made at the competition. For students and military service members competing at the event, the AMC is like a four-day job interview and training session, with representatives from major airlines present to offer them opportunities for the next stage of their lives.

“It’s a great experience for our students,” says James Hall, coach of the Wichita State University Tech team. “You can’t replicate that industry exposure to them, and it allows them to see what happens in the real world outside of the collegiate experience. They get to watch in action the military teams, the big iron teams; they learn a lot while they’re there. It helps them find what their careers may look like, what options are out there, and they all walk away with job offers.”

Building a world-class event

The AMC is the brainchild of John Goglia, a former National Transportation Safety Board member, and Ken MacTiernan, a maintenance technician with American Airlines. Their goal was to create an event that shines a spotlight on technicians and demonstrates the critical role they play every day.

“The AMC is something our profession needed,” MacTiernan says. “We don’t ask for recognition, but after more than 100 years of aviation, we feel that mechanics have earned the right to stand tall and let people recognize the careers of these men and women behind the scenes.”

“The AMC allows them to see firsthand some of the challenges that maintainers address and the level of knowledge and skill they bring to the table,” Goglia says. “The board of the AMC also includes the VPs of maintenance for virtually all major airlines.”

What makes the AMC a success through the years is its partnership with Snap-on, which shares the founders’ reverent view of technicians. Snap-on is a strong believer in the dignity of aircraft technician work and that of professionals in all skilled trades.

“What the AMC stands for is something we deeply believe in, and that’s celebrating the critical nature of these jobs,” says Bill Willetts, vice president of Snap-on Industrial and AMC board member. “Through our partnerships with technical education institutions, we play an active role in promoting aviation careers and all skilled trades. This partnership with the AMC has moved the industry forward, and we’ll do our part to continue making it a success.”

MacTiernan notes his gratitude for Snap-on’s involvement, saying, “Snap-on is a world leader in tools. Their investment in tools and sponsorship brings an extremely high level of professionalism to the AMC.”

Snap-on supplies the tools used during the events and provides prizes for winning teams, including the top prize in aviation maintenance: The William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance. The 5ft O’Brien Award trophy is presented to the team with the best overall winning score. In addition to the trophy, teams will also be vying for prizes, including tools and equipment to use on the job, courtesy of Snap-on.

Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) Presented by Snap-on

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers' Association